Moscow on the Hudson

Moscow on the Hudson

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paul Mazursky
Produced by Paul Mazursky
Written by
  • Paul Mazursky
  • Leon Capetanos
Starring
Music by David McHugh
Cinematography Donald M. McAlpine
Edited by Richard Halsey
Production
company
Delphi Premier
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • April 6, 1984 (1984-04-06) (USA)
Running time
 115 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $13 million
Box office $25,068,724

Moscow on the Hudson is a 1984 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky, and stars Robin Williams as a Soviet circus musician who defects while on a visit to the United States. The film was released on April 6, 1984.

Williams's co-stars include María Conchita Alonso (in her film debut), Elya Baskin as the circus clown, Savely Kramarov as one of two KGB apparatchiks, Alejandro Rey as the musician's immigration attorney, and Cleavant Derricks as his first American host and friend.

Plot

In Moscow

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War and Soviet political repression of the early 1980s prior to perestroika, Vladimir Ivanoff (Robin Williams), a saxophonist with the Moscow circus, lives in a crowded apartment with his extended family. He stands in lines for hours to buy toilet paper and shoes. When the apparatchik assigned to the circus (Kramarov as Boris) criticizes Vladimir for being late to rehearsal and suggests Vladimir may miss the approaching trip to New York, Vladimir gives Boris a pair of shoes from the queue that made Vladimir late. While Ivanoff is riding in his friend Anatoly's (Baskin as the circus clown) Lada, Anatoly stops to buy fuel for his car from a mobile black market gasoline dealer. While the friends wait for the gasoline seller to fill Anatoly's jerrycans, the two practice their English...and Anatoly announces his intention to defect. Vladimir tells him to be quiet, and that it endangers him to even know of it and not report him.

Vladimir acts as go-between for his crazy grandfather and KGB agents who want to arrest the old man for shouting anti-Soviet slogans out the apartment window. Vladimir defends his grandfather to the agents as a harmless comedian who is a war hero. The agents make it clear that Vladimir can save his grandfather by reporting Anatoly, which was the real purpose of the conversation.

Defection in New York

The circus troupe is sent to perform in New York City. Anatoly, who has talked of little else but defecting, is hounded by the KGB agents and can't bring himself to go through with it; and Vladimir, who had opposed the scheme as reckless and foolhardy, suddenly decides to do it. He runs from his Soviet controllers and hides behind a perfume counter at Bloomingdale's under the skirt of the clerk, Lucia Lombardo (María Conchita Alonso). When local police and the FBI arrive, Vladimir stands up to his controllers and defects to the United States with news cameras rolling. Vladimir is left with nothing but the clothes on his back, the money in his pocket, and a pair of blue jeans he had planned to buy for his girlfriend in Moscow. His KGB handler fears that he will be sent to Siberia as punishment.

Life in the Big Apple

Lionel Witherspoon (Cleavant Derricks), an African American security guard who has just protected Vladimir from his furious Russian handlers during Vladimir's defection, takes him home to Harlem to live with Lionel's mother, unemployed father, sister, and cranky but good-hearted grandfather--a living arrangement noticeably similar to that of Vladimir's family back in Moscow.

With the help of sympathetic immigration attorney Orlando Ramirez (Alejandro Rey), a Cuban emigrant, Vladimir soon adapts to life in the United States. Vladimir attempts to find work despite speaking little English and fearing the threat of his former KGB handlers. He initially works as a McDonalds cashier, sidewalk merchant, and limousine driver. Although these jobs enable Vladimir to eventually move into his own apartment, he begins to doubt he will ever play saxophone professionally again.

Vladimir starts a relationship with Lucia. At a party celebrating Lucia's becoming an American citizen, Vladimir proposes to her; but she refuses and breaks up with him. Lionel decides to return to Alabama to be close to his minor son. However, more bad news comes in a letter from Vladimir's family that his grandfather has died.

Grieving, Vladimir goes to a Russian nightclub to ease his mind. When he returns home late to his apartment building drunk, he is mugged by two African American youths. He reports the incident to the police with his attorney Orlando present; and the two go to a diner where Vladimir rants about his misfortunes. During a confrontation with a burly man who reveals himself also as a Russian defector, Vladimir comes to appreciate his good fortune of living in the United States.

Soon after, Lucia reunites with Vladimir telling him that she is not ready for marriage but would love to live with an immigrant. Lionel moves back from Alabama and takes over Vladimir's job driving a limousine.

In the end, Vladimir encounters his former KGB handler, who is now a street vendor selling hotdogs. He admitted he had to flee the USSR himself due to his failure to prevent Vladimir's defection, but has also come to appreciate New York City. Vladimir soon gets a job in a nightclub, where he once again plays saxophone.

Cast

The film features Soviet comedic actor Savely Kramarov, as the apparatchik/KGB officer, in one of his first Western film roles.

The three Russian actors Savely Kramarov, Oleg Rudnik, and Elya Baskin also appear together in the film 2010 as cosmonauts. Kramarov and Rudnik play the two KGB agents always shadowing Vladimir and Baskin plays Vladimir's friend the circus clown. Stand up comedian Yakov Smirnoff also has a minor role in the film.

Williams learned Russian in a crash course for the film and also learned to play the saxophone.[1][2]

Reception

The film garnered positive reviews around the time of its release, and was moderately successful at the box office, bringing in $25 million in ticket sales. It currently holds an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Conception and filming

According to Director Mazursky, the idea for the film came from Mazursky's own grandfather's emigration from Ukraine through Russia nearly 80 years before. In developing the script, the director contacted the Russian immigrant community and made his first trip to Russia. "Most Russians," noted the director at the time, "are just trying to survive. Yet, all Russians who leave their country leave behind something they treasure and love. It's a terrible conflict for them, so the act of bravery is overwhelming." After considering many locations for the Moscow portion of the film, Mazursky settled on Munich, based on the flexibility Bavaria Studios offered him with full control over an authentic "Eastern European street."[3]

Litigation

The poster, depicting a bird's eye view of New York with Moscow and Russia beyond, prompted a lawsuit by artist Saul Steinberg. Steinberg alleged that the movie poster infringed the copyright in "View of the World from 9th Avenue", his famous cover illustration for a 1976 issue of The New Yorker magazine. The district court agreed and awarded summary judgment to Steinberg in Steinberg v. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., 663 F. Supp. 706 (S.D.N.Y. 1987).

References

  1. ↑ "Speaks Russian Like A Czech", Sarasota Herald-Tribune, April 14, 1984 (from the NY Times) https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19840414&id=ZeYbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=w2gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6574,4734498
  2. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087747/trivia
  3. ↑ "Moscow on the Hudson Production Notes". Retrieved February 25, 2013.
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